Little Firefly
by Tsuki-Lolita
Summary: A heavy romance spanning from just before the Dark Tournament to the end of the series. TouyaxOC, past KarasuxOC
1. Chapter 1

The Shinobi are shrouded in darkness. I mean this both figuratively and literally. Darkness represents the mystery of our nature, it is also what keeps us hidden from the world. It holds us in it's embrace, safely in it's arms. If we can't be found, we can't be hurt. This is where we belong.

I'm inside the temple where we live and train every day. This one little room, sectioned off from the rest of the building is reserved for meditation. I come here often to seek help from my sensei. The candles and incense have burned out, everything smells of smoke and sandalwood. I've been sitting here uninterrupted for eleven hours in the sukhasana pose. My hands are rested on my knees.

"Saa. Taa. Naa. Maa." It's a mantra. "Saa." Thumbs to index finger. "Taa" to middle finger. "Naa" Ring fingers. "Maa" You get the idea. Saa Taa Naa Maa: Infinity, Life, Transformation, Rebirth.

"The Dark Tournament is one year away."

"I know Touya."

Silence. I hear the door slide closed and he's gone, walking away from me again.

He wants me to join them, to fight and win so we can claim the light. His ambitions are only being fed by those around him; Risho, Gama, Bakken, even Jin. He is patient, but not patient enough. He doesn't understand that we choose to live in darkness, pass on our knowledge to one pupil, and then retire to the light. Spending so much time, so much of our lives in the night only makes us more appreciative of the light.

"Hotaru." Another male voice, and one I know well. Master Tetsuya. The Fire Master of the previous Shinobi. He is my teacher, guide, and lifeline.

My eyes open for the first time in hours, I look to him. "Master Tetsuya, what do you think I should do?"

"Little Firefly, so conflicted, take heart, do what you must. That is the Shinobi way, to do what you know you have to do. Understand Hotaru, this tournament is more dangerous than they think. You have been training to become a true Master of your element far longer than they have. They think they can get by with less than half of what they could have learned from the other masters. You know more than they do and you are reluctant to join them, but you will join them regardless. I can see it in your eyes. You want to protect them because they are your comrades, your team mates. If you decide to go, I will not stop you."

"You won't stop me, but you won't be pleased either." My head is bowed, scorn laces my words and immediately I am sorry for the tone. Emotions run high in fire demons and despite my training they still get the better of me sometimes.

I will go to this tournament, but only as their alternate, and I will not fight. We could spend the next twenty years training for this and still not be ready.

What a perfect team: six demons with only varying degrees of partial training, and powers covering a spectrum of elements. Earth, Ice, Wind, Fire, Mist, and Blood. Buddha help us all.


	2. Chapter 2

One Year Later.

Opening ceremonies were held in Ballroom C. It's little more than the committee and sponsors going over the rules, boosting egos and stirring up trouble with underhanded insults to some teams in the hopes that the anger it causes will carry over to our fights. This is also when the lineup is chosen; what order the teams fight in for the first part of the tournament.

My ass hurt in that chair. You'd think with all the cash flowing into this place they'd at least get us cushioned seats. Five and a half hours in a metal folding chair is not how I imagined spending the day. I wanted to check out the stadium, but it's a little late for that. We have our first match tomorrow afternoon and I'm ready for a long rest to clear my mind after listening to all that dribble and nonsense.

Our rooms are on the twelfth floor, suite 1206D. I swear this hotel was designed specifically for this damn blood bath. Each suite has three bedrooms and each bedroom has two full beds and plenty of extra space. They did not just cram in the extra beds temporarily for the tournament.

I don't care that I'm the only female on this team or that I have to share a room with a guy. Frankly, I won't be spending much time here anyway. I prefer to sleep outside. My things will stay here, I'll come back for them before the real fighting begins. Clean clothes, daggers, hair ties.

My hair is just long enough that I can gather it all into a dutch braid and have it end at the nape of my neck. Undone, it's comes only an inch below my shoulders. Blond. Blond hair surrounding a pointed face, vermilion eyes, sharp nose, full but hard-drawn lips. My mouth doesn't change much, it's always either set in a straight line and completely unreadable or a slight pout lays itself upon my lower lip.

Everyone at the opening ceremony was excited about the guest team this year. Urameshi Yusuke has become a thing of horror stories in Makai, especially after murdering Suzaku of the Saint Beasts. With all the tales of glory surrounding the Saint Beasts, I'm surprised they were so weak as to beaten by a human teenager, this boy must be something extraordinary or it's possible the beasts grew weak in their old age. Sadly, Team Urameshi didn't appear. I had hoped they would come, even if the ceremony is optional for guests.

Risho is technically the leader of our group, not that he deserves the honor, but for the purposes of this tournament, we're directing all the leadership responsibilities to Jin. Risho just doesn't want to be blamed for our failure if we don't win, I think he's scared. He knows even if we make it to the finals, we can't beat Team Toguro. Dishonorable coward! Loathsome Cur! Pushing away any accountabilitiy for our loss onto another person, disgraceful.


	3. Chapter 3

The room across the hall belongs to the guest team. Noisy nice as the hotel is one would think they could sound-proof the walls. It's was past twelve last night before half of their team stopped talking. Don't they realize they're fighting to the death today? I don't think they're prepared for these battles completely yet.

Touya and Jin are sharing the bedroom closest to the kitchen, Gama and I are in the next one over and the bedroom at the end of the hall, adjacent to the bathroom, is where Risho and Bakken have opted to sleep. I slept outside. Last night was a full moon, not quite as dark as I'd like but it serves me better than this false light.

There are fifty teams here that need to be narrowed down to ten for the semifinals and then to two for the finals. Over the next week, forty teams or about 200 people will be eliminated. Our first battle is today as well. The Hidaka team is so weak they shouldn't be here as spectators let alone competitors.

Their leader is a wolf demon. Short, black hair and gold eyes. He's the strongest of them all and it won't take even a full twenty seconds to finish him. Touya and I are above the stands, watching and waiting for this first fight to begin. It is prudent to know your enemy before engaging in battle.

Who ever wins this goes onto the next rounds beginning tomorrow morning. It's been arranged that we (being the victors of our own fight later today, there's no way we can lose to such a pathetic bunch) will fight whichever team wins this very match. Either Urameshi or Rokuyukai will fight then and I will not let my team battle blindly.

The roar of the crowd is deafening. The hot sun bearing down on us in waves of radiation. It feels great to me but I'm sure Touya has created a tiny barrier of ice under the black cloak he's wearing. Risho's idea, "to keep our identities hidden" he says. What good will that do us when we have to fight? The cloaks will be removed then anyway.

Beneath my cloak I'm wearing red Arabian-styled pants with a black belt. The belt has little round, gold talismans dangling from it. The top I have on matches the belt. It's a simple black shirt, portrait neckline, short sleeved. It shows off my mid section well. Overall, from the neck down I look like a harem girl but they don't constrict my movement at all so I'll deal with the consequences if it means castrating every man that looks my way.

I have nothing to worry about right now though, they can't even tell I'm female under this heavy cloak and hood.

Below us, the judge of the fights, Koto I believe her name is, shouts, "BEGIN!" and for a moment, the crowds cheers and jaunts grow louder. Rinku vs Kuwabara. A child demon and an aparently strong human. I'd call that a fair match.


	4. Chapter 4

Attention Readers:

All stories are on temporary hold until I can find a job and work out a schedule. My sincerest appologies to those of you who have been waiting for updates.

Yours always,

Araminta S. 


End file.
